Panasonic: Drone Finder Technology

Panasonic Business is developing drone finding technology that can help mitigate the threat of drone accidents and terrorism. 

Research by Oxford Research Group, describes the threat of high street drones as ‘a game changer in the wrong hands’, the Group’s report The Hostile Use of Drones by Non-State Actors Against British Targets goes on to say, ‘drones will be used as simple, affordable and effective airborne improvised explosive devices’.

A prototype of Panasonic’s drone finder was on show at IFSEC 2016.

The technology provides detection of the drone, which is seen as the starting point in order to control the drone.

Using 32 array microphones and a Pan Tilt Zoom CCTV camera, each sensor can detect a drone at distances of up to 300m through a 150⁰ field of view. The drone finder analyses neighbouring noises to eliminate them from the detection.

Gerard Figols, European Product Marketing Manager for Panasonic, said, “The growth in popularity of drones has been exponential, but little progress has been made on how to protect restricted zones from the potential threat they pose. Our drone finder technology will help deter and detect flying of drones around military or government buildings for example.”